NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee State men’s basketball team led start to finish in a convincing 92-53 victory over Reinhardt on Monday night in the home opener at the Gentry Center.

TSU (1-1) had three players score in double figures led by a career-high 22 points from Delano Spencer on 8-for-10 shooting. Ken’Darrius Hamilton (19 points) and Kamar McKnight (14 points) also added double-digit scoring for the Tigers.

Tennessee State shot 36-for-66 (54.5 percent) from the floor and held a 40-10 advantage on points in the paint. All 12 players who saw the floor scored on the night for TSU.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

TSU Leaders

Points – Delano Spencer - 22

Rebounds – Christian Mekowulu – 9

Assists – Tripp Davis - 4

Playing in his second career game in a TSU uniform, Kamar McKnight scored in double figures with 14 points.

TSU scored 90-plus points for the first time since putting up 96 in a 96-64 win over Reinhardt on Nov. 26, 2016.

TSU forced 16 turnovers on the night and is now averaging 18.0 turnovers forced per game this season.

The 22 points from Delano Spencer surpass his previous career best of 19 points from Jan. 7, 2017 against UT Martin.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Tigers put on a dominating performance in the first half, sprinting out to a 48-25 lead through 20 minutes.

Delano Spencer went 5-for-5 from three-point range in the first half and led the offense with 17 first-half points.

The Tigers outrebounded Reinhardt by a 29-12 margin in the first half with TSU picking up 10 offensive rebounds.

TSU continued to dominate in the second half highlighted by a 14-0 run. The four-minute stretch included 10 points from Ken’Darrius Hamilton.

The Tigers picked up their defensive intensity over the final 20 minutes, holding the Eagles to 6-for-22 shooting (27.3 percent) in the second half.

GAME NOTES

Monday’s game served as a regular season game for Tennessee State and an exhibition game for Reinhardt.

TSU won its home opener for the fourth time under fourth-year Head Coach Dana Ford.

The Tigers improve to 4-0 in the all-time series versus Reinhardt.

Reinhardt competes at the NAIA level.

The Tigers are 7-0 versus non-NCAA Division I opponents under Ford.

TSU is now 24-16 in home games at the Gentry Center under Ford.

QUOTES

Head Coach Dana Ford“I thought our guys competed hard tonight, we tried to play as a team with 18 assists – which is good for us. We limited our turnovers in the second half. There were probably a few too many threes, and we’ve got to get a bit more balanced with our offense – which we will as the season goes along. I don’t think anyone shot any contested shots, but maybe some quick ones. We also made 14 which is a good sign as well. Defensively, we have to go back and watch the tape to see if we were executing the things we should be executing. Overall, just pleased to get a win.”-Thoughts on the game

“I thought we missed some opportunities to create some more to be honest. This team will have to do more than what we’ve done in the past. We are a little leaner, a little faster, a little smaller than what we’ve been traditionally, so we’re definitely going to have to turn people over. The number we’re searching for is 20 and I know that’s a big number but throughout our first two games we’re sitting at 18 a game, so we’re right on track.”-On 16 forced turnovers

“I thought he shot the ball with confidence. I thought he took good shots. He knows that he has the green light here as long as he has the good shot, as well as other guys. I was pleased with his performance tonight in the sense of, I don’t think he tried to press it. He played to his strengths which is shooting and some other things opened up for him.”-On Delano Spencer’s new career-high 22 points

Senior Guard Delano Spencer“We just got into the flow of the game. My teammates got me involved early; we kept moving the ball around and finding the open guy. It always starts on the defensive end. We were aggressive on defense and it helped create opportunities."- On career high 22 points

“We shot it well collectively tonight. We found each other when we were open. We were just in the right place at the right time.”- On the offensive play

“We are definitely anticipating this game. It is a big game for us. We need to lock in this week and follow the game plan coach gives us to a ‘T’.”- On playing MTSU

Redshirt-Sophomore Guard Kamar McKnight“It was great, coming back home after the road game against Kansas. We just wanted to come out and use the crowd and be the aggressors. We used that to carry us through two halves of hard basketball.”- On playing in front of the Gentry Center crowd

“We always want to play great team defense. Part of that is communicating and knowing where everyone is so we can help each other. We want to stay in the best position to make the play.”- On the defense forcing 16 turnovers